No Power in the 'Verse
by Serenity Valley Girl
Summary: Rayne. How do two scary people stay in shape in the black? And what happens when they find they are more alike than different? Please r&r!
1. Chapter 1

**No Power in the "Verse**

Disclaimer: Joss is Boss! He owns theses fine upstanding characters I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

A/N: This is the first story I've written in a long time and I hope it's as good as my friends think. Please r & r! That way I'll know if I should keep posting.

Thunk, thunk. "Hush little weights", said River quietly, "don't want to wake the others." After Miranda and the events on Mr. Universe's moon River's mind had begun to clear. She and Simon believed it was due to having recovered the memory of Miranda's horrors and so purging some of the trauma. An unfortunate side effect of having a clearer mind was remembering more and more about the Academy and what had happened to her there. And so River had taken to using physical activity as a way of soothing her mind and exhausting her body so she could sleep. Tonight, as usual, she had come down to the cargo bay after everyone had gone to sleep. She adjusted the weights and began her repetitions. Secure in the knowledge that everyone was asleep she focused her thoughts on her breathing and the effort required to keep the barbell moving steadily up and down.

However, while River was absorbed in her activities she failed to feel a mind stirring. Jayne had heard the noise of River adjusting the weights and had come out of his bunk to investigate. After what had happened with Early there was no way Jayne was gonna be left out of the action again.

Jayne had never been a complicated man. It was one of the reasons River liked him so much. The others' thoughts were constantly filled with conflict and layers of swirling loyalties and desires. With Zoë it had been a constant tug-of-war between her loyalty to the Captain and her devotion to her husband. Now it was a chasm of grief over his loss and joy over the life growing inside her. Mal and Inara were on a seesaw of emotions about one another, never certain. Even Simon was conflicted; his attentions were divided between Kaylee and his sister. It was almost as if he were afraid that if he stopped worrying about her for an instant she would disappear again.

All the voices and emotions, they were very loud. All of their thoughts constantly swirling and changing made empirical study impossible. Like the pebbles on Lilac, her first job with the crew, completely random and going by too fast to be counted. That was why River enjoyed spending time around Jayne. His thoughts were usually much more straightforward. They centered on things like getting paid and what was for breakfast. Up until recently that is.

When Jayne reached the cargo bay he first noticed that she had only taken 20 lbs off the weights from the way he had left them earlier that evening. The next thing he saw was the barbell beginning to slip from her hands. Without thinking he raced over to the bench and put his hands under the bar giving River a chance to recover her grip. She then completed her set as Jayne spotted her.

Oddly, River seemed no where near as surprised to see him standing there helping her as Jayne was to find himself there at all. He wondered just when his instinctual response had changed from watching her drop the 100+ lbs and laughing his ass off to rushing to her aid.

"Mr. Universe's moon" came River's voice softly. "When the girl ran into the room full of Reavers to give the others a chance and then reemerged unhurt and alive."

"What?!" Jayne asked surprised out of his thoughts.

"The answer to his question. His attitude towards her changed then."

"Gorramit girl! I told you to stay out of my head!"

"Can't help it if his thoughts are so loud she can't block them out." River said calmly sitting up. "This girl finds his thoughts comforting. They go in straight lines. Not like the others. No swirls or conflicts. Less confusing when Jayne is next to her."

"Humph. I ain't no comfort girl. I'm a mean scary merc. And what are you doing in here anyway? If I hadn't come in here you mighta cracked your moonbrain open."

"She has taken to using the weights and other physical activities as measure to calm herself at night when the others are asleep. Memories keep her awake and she is restless. The events in the Maidenhead and on Mr. Universe's Moon demonstrated that her physical skills have begun to deteriorate. Her reflexes have slowed by 4.6 and her strength has decreased by 5.3 from what they were when she was rescued from the Academy. This is not acceptable to the girl. Although she does not wish to be used by the Blue Hands as a weapon, her fighting abilities are of use to her Serenity family and so she wishes to maintain them as well as possible given the lack of the Academy facilities."

"4.6…well lifting weights by yourself in the middle of the gorram night ain't gonna help none." Jayne stood for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face. He understood the desire to remain in top fighting condition. Hell, in their line of work it weren't just a desire it was survival. On any given job Zoë and Mal and everyone else's lives could be in his hands. Having another person around with similar abilities could only aid them in their fight to stay alive and one step ahead of their enemies. But the girl was right; the weights on the ship were good for keeping a basic level of strength, but to keep a body and mind in fighting trim required more.

"He could help her." Jayne started as the sound of River's voice broke his train of thought. "They could help each other to remain in good physical condition. They could also trade knowledge." Jayne snorted. "What kinda knowledge you think we could trade?" Jayne quickly made a mental list of the things he knew best; food, fighting, guns, knives, women…wait that couldn't be what she wanted could it? River shook her head and her tangled hair flew around her face. "She meant she could teach Jayne more advanced and complex fighting and he could teach her about weapons. The other is not something she is ready to pursue. Her mind must be clearer for that."

"I gotta think on it a minute," said Jayne as he absentmindedly sat at the end of the bench. "It does make a certain crazy sense but what about your brother and Mal? They're libel to throw me out the airlock if they think I've hurt you." "Won't tell them," River replied. "Train at night so no one knows." Nodding, Jayne stood up. "Ok crazy, we'll try it. See ya here tomorrow night after everyone has gone to their bunks."


	2. River

Disclaimer: Joss is Boss! He owns these fine folks, I'm just playing in his sandbox.

A/N: My plan is that between the main chapters there will be a shorter chapter in either River or Jayne's POV. Let me know if you like it or not. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and put alerts on this. Makes me feel all shiny to know people like my work. :) Also a great big thank you to monkey feet for turning me onto Firefly in the first place, proofing this for me, and for lots of other things.

River 

He had understood. She had known he would if he would only stop calling her names long enough to listen to her. After all they were so very similar in a way that no one would notice unless they took the time to stop and look. If anyone on the boat would have understood her desire to remain in peak physical condition it was Jayne. Since the Shepard had left Serenity he had been lifting weights by himself and she knew he needed a partner as much as she did. Without someone to challenge a fighter to continually better himself he could become complacent and lazy and in a fight that could prove fatal.

Fatal. Deadly. Lethal. Three words that described both her and Jayne. But Jayne was always in control over his decisions to kill, she didn't. What if she was triggered by something while they were practicing? What if she wasn't able to stop herself and injured Jayne? Or worse? They would have to practice at night while everyone was asleep and the only one who could stop her if she was triggered was Simon. Only her safe word could stop her if she were triggered and not making the choice to fight or to practice with Jayne. That nonsense word that had been so deeply engrained in her mind she hadn't even known it was there until it was used to put her to sleep in the Maidenhead.

But only Simon knew her safe word and there was no way he was going to sit in the cargo bay and watch her teach Jayne new tactics. The first time they got even a bit rough he would put a stop to the practices if he even allowed them to begin at all. No, that would never work. The only logical solution was to give Jayne the safe word. That way he could stop her if things got out of control.

But…could she really give Jayne her safe word? That was an enormous amount of power over her life to be giving to someone who had tried to give her back to the Blue Hands. And yet she knew he was sorry for that and had proven himself worthy of trust since Ariel. They might even be friends now if you stretched the definition of friend as far as it would go. And there was something else too; something between them that eluded her best attempts to analyze. Yes, River decided, she would give him the safe word. It would be a gesture of trust on her part and might help him to believe that she meant no harm to him. Only wanted his help and to help him. And perhaps, by spending time alone together in pursuit of a common goal she would be able to define the problematically indefinable thing she had sensed growing between them.


	3. Safe Word

Safe Word

Disclaimer: Joss is Boss!

A/N: Thanks to those kind souls who have reviewed. Keep them coming, makes me write faster. :) Thanks again to monkey feet for his editing and to JD for her ideas and encouragement. I love you guys!

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As Jayne made his way to the cargo bay he wondered if this was really a good idea after all. Yes, she was surprisingly strong and could probably teach him some new holds and things that could help in a close fight. And _wuo du ma_ he could show her all sorts o' things about guns and weapons and such. It weren't just knowin' how to aim, it was about knowing how to take care of them. Jayne's attitude towards his weapons was much like Mal's about Serenity. It was love that made him keep his guns and knives so clean and shiny. He believed it them work so hard and so well for him in return. They completed each other. Neither the weapons nor Jayne could fulfill their purpose without the other.

But gorramit! Did he really want to give her any more ways to kill him? She had cut him good with his own knife right before Ariel and she was much more loopy then. Did he truly want a mostly sane River next to him with a gun or a knife? "The girl promises not to hurt him if he does not harm her." Came River's reply to his unasked question. Strangely, Jayne was beginning to find her answering questions that he never asked comforting. It was less complicated to not have to go through the trouble of verbalizing delicate questions in the way least likely to get him into trouble.

"She knows. Sometimes it is simpler for Jayne to let her see what he wants to say rather than trying to say it himself. Often his mouth makes his thoughts emerge in ways his brain did not intend."

That was true enough Jayne knew. His mouth was frequently getting him into trouble because what he'd been thinking had somehow been twisted in his mouth and come out all wrong and insulting. But it was still down right unsettlin' to have his thoughts spoken aloud by another, especially her.

"My thoughts are loud huh?" Jayne asked thoughtfully. "Guess I can't blame ya for hearin' 'em then. And I promise I won't hurt ya none on purpose."

River smiled, "that is all the man can promise and this girl promises you the same." Her smile faded slightly as she added "but if the girl were to somehow be triggered she would not be able to stop herself. Therefore you must be able to stop her."

Jayne started as the memory of the Maidenhead rose in his mind. True he had been unaware of her abilities then but he wasn't sure he could stop her if she was to be triggered again, even if he would never admit to it out loud.

"Here," said River handing him a folded piece of paper. "He could stop her with this." Opening it he saw a nonsense word written on the scrap of paper. Jayne glanced up at her and back at the word, uncertain what it was he was supposed to do with it she abruptly said "it is the girl's safe word."

This time Jayne's head shot up so fast he felt his neck crack.

"It's your safe…"

"Yes, it is the word Simon used to put the girl to sleep in the Maidenhead. She gives it to you to use as you must."

Briefly, Jayne closed his eyes with the enormity of what he had just been handed. He knew that the level of trust and respect between Moonbrain and himself had been growing steadily in the six months since Miranda but this was something more. She was offering him a measure of faith no one had ever shown in him before. This was…

"Alright girl," he said suddenly in a harsh tone to cover his reaction. As he jammed the paper into his pocket he said "no use standin' here. Where did ya wanna start?"

_wuo du ma_- Mother of God


	4. Jayne

Disclaimer: Not mine! Oh how I wish they were...

A/N: Wow, many reviews over night. That made me happy so I thought I'd post the next capter which is a short Jayne POV. The next chapter is shaping up to be longish so it may take a bit longer. Sorry, Ipe it will be worth the wait. As always thanks to monkey feet and DJ.

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Jayne

_Eta Kooram Nah Smech. _Her safe word. River had given him her safe word. Staring at the scrap of paper, Jayne was overwhelmed by the trust she had shown in him. He'd seen the security feed of the events at the Maidenhead; he knew what had happened after he'd been knocked out. He knew what that word did to her. Those _hun dan _Blue Hands had cut her brain open and put that word in.

She had handed him an enormous amount of power over her life. Jayne wasn't sure just when he'd stopped wanting to get rid of her and started worrying about protecting her but he knew things had changed. And they were still changing. Jayne's thoughts were spinning. He wanted to give her something. Something to show her that he understood the trust she's placed in him and that he trusted her in return. But what could he give her? What did he have that was even close to what she had given him? Suddenly Jayne's eyes lit up as he began to grin. Of course that was it…


	5. Rose

Disclaimer: Still not mine :( But I do so love to play with them!

A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get up. The next little POV, which is River if you're keeping track, should be up in the next day or two. Much thanks to all those wonderful people who have left me reviews. Keep 'em coming. A happy Serenity Valley Girl writes faster. :) And as always thanks to DJ for her support and monkey feet for his editing. You two rock!

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Rose

And so began one of the stranger quasi-friendships Serenity had ever seen! And if there were more bruises than usual on the merc and the pilot everyone was still so wrapped up in themselves and the pain still surrounding them from the deaths of their crewmates and loved ones that they didn't notice. What some of them couldn't help but notice was that the merc and the assassin seemed to be spending more time together in a peaceful borderline civil manner. They had even smiled at each other a couple of times; the first time Kaylee had seen them and had nearly walked into a wall.

Something had shifted on the night River had given Jayne her safe word. She had touched him by placing so much trust in him and though he would never admit it, he was starting to see something in her besides the Moonbrain. Something more than a workout partner or a fellow gun hand. He knew there was something else there but ta ma dah if he knew what it was. Maybe after he gave her the surprise he'd been plotting he'd have a better notion of what was going on.

He'd spent a fair amount of time thinkin' on this. She had given him a piece 'a herself when she had given him her safe word, but what did a merc like him have to give her? The usual thing for him to give a girl wasn't at all appropriate and the idea was downright unsettlin'. Although…NO!!!

But that still left the question of something he could give. A gift that wouldn't get him spaced out 'a the airlock or shot. It was last night that it had hit him. Something he could give her, a part 'a himself, but useful.

His opportunity came the next evening. At dinner, Mal had told them about the next job he had planned on Whitefall for Patience. Mal, Zoe and Jayne would go in as usual with River in a back-up position on the hilltop.

One by one the crew of Serenity drifted off to their bunks until only Jayne and River remained in the mess. It was only when River stood up to stretch that he realized that he'd been absentmindedly cleaning the same spot on Vera for a very long time, all the while staring at River!

"Gorramit!" He swore under his breath. What was he doin' staring like that at the Moonbrain? Sure, she had filled out in the time she'd been on Serenity. Not that she'd been so terrible to look at when she'd crawled nekked outta that box. But now she was not only beautiful; she was sane. And since she, Inara and Kaylee had begun to pick out her clothes a few months back you could see she had a figure. Yup, those shorts, tank tops, and better fitting dresses suited her much better than those bags Simon had had her wearing.

It was River, quirking her head, at him in a puzzled fashion that snapped him out of his daydream.

"Jayne?"

Had she heard that? He knew she was tryin' to stay out of people's thoughts but she'd always said his thoughts were too loud to keep out.

"Huh?"

"Did you want to workout tonight or get some sleep?"

"Hmph, probably not gonna get much sleep. Let's go."

Walking quietly to the cargo bay so as to not wake the others they fell into what had become their normal routine. They began by lifting weights. This gave them a chance to warm up their muscles before moving into more strenous combat.

Both River and Jayne had noticed that having a weight lifting partner had many advantages. Someone was there to push them to do one more set or to stop them if they were doing too much. Jayne remembered how Shepard Book used to stand behind the bench and spot him. Having River there made Jayne miss him a little less.

Once they got a good sweat going they moved out onto the floor of the cargo bay. River had been showing Jayne some of her techniques that required more strength than agility but even so he'd noticed an increase in his flexibility. They were both benefiting from their arrangement and that was unusual for Jayne. He was used to being the taker in a relationship and he found it oddly satisfying to be able to give something in return.

"That is enough for tonight," gasped River trying to catch her breath. "Don't want to be too sore tomorrow."

"Right," wheezed Jayne in agreement. Continuing in the routine they had established they moved quietly up the stairs to the mess where Jayne had left several of his guns and knives.

Sitting down across the table from one another they began to methodically clean the weapons beginning with the knives. From time to time Jayne would question her about the weapon she was holding, it's name, caliber if it was a gun or length if it was a knife, details she had been learning from him. Jayne's weapons had begun to feel like family to her, as they cleaned them Jayne would tell her stories about each one.

As they got down to the bottom of the pile, River picked up a gun she had never seen before. Although she was familiar with its technical details this particular gun was a stranger.

"I've never seen this one before" she said holding up the small sleek handgun.

"Oh, that one, she was one of my first guns. My Pa gave 'er to me. My hands got too big for 'er but I couldn't give 'er up."

"But why did you bring her out now?" asked River glancing at Jayne's massive hands and flushing slightly.

"She's for you."

"What?!"

"I want you to have 'er. She ain't no use to me and I know you'll appreciate 'er and take care of 'er."

"Really?" asked River with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Yeah, I…I trust you."

River beamed at Jayne, jumped up, hugged him excitedly, and kissed him on the check. Jayne blushed and he struggled to bring his thoughts back to the gun he was cleaning, and his heart rate back to something approaching normal.

"What is her name?" asked River sitting back down in her chair, holding the gun gently.

"Rose," said Jayne softly. "Her name is Rose."


	6. River 2

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: This one is really short but they end when they end and I always planned for these POV thing to be just a few paragraphs long. I'm taking a class so I'm trying really hard to update as often as possible. I also have a one shot that should be up next week sometime. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Makes me feel shiny :) and of course thanks to my faithful friends DJ and monkey feet.

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River 

The night after the Job on Whitefall River sat awake on her bunk. The job had not gone according to plan. Okay, Captain Daddy's plans rarely went as they were designed to but this time things had gone seriously awry. If River had not been on the hilltop with Jayne's rifle Angie as well as Rose then Mal, Zoe and Jayne would all be dead. She had been so relieved that they were safe that she had almost not sensed the man sneaking up behind her. As it was she had barely managed to get Rose out and aimed in time. She had climbed down from the hill covered in the man's blood but unhurt. What had hurt was the look on Jayne's face when he saw the blood. That was what was keeping her awake.

She had been aware that their relationship was changing. But she had failed to realize just how much they had come to depend on one another. His panic and fear when he saw her blood soaked dress had cut into her heart like one of Jayne's freshly sharpened knives. Even now, asleep, he was still afraid for her. Something deep inside him was calling to her. Should she answer? When he woke up would he remember or would he be angry to see her? after lsitening to his thoughts for a moments longer she made her choice.


	7. Nightmares and Sweet Dreams

Disclaimer: Still not mine. But I play with them every chance I get!

A/N: My very biggest appologies for the lateness of the new chapter. i work at a bookstore and Harry Potter took over my life for a while. Add that to class and trying to find a place to live before grad school starts and what do you get? A very long time before I update. :( Also, let me just say this was a tough thing to write. I just could not get this chapter right for the longest time. To make up for my misconduct I am posting the new chapter and the short POV that follows it at the same time. I can almost promise it won't be so long before the next chapter appears. Thanks to all who are reading and triple thanks to those who take the time to review! And of course thanks to monkey feet and DJ.

Nightmares and Sweet Dreams

She was lying there, bleeding. Bullets flying everywhere and he couldn't get to her. "Jayne!" came her pain filled scream. "JAYNE!!" Another round of gunfire and she lay still moaning softly. Suddenly, the moans stopped and she lay still. Despite the sounds of the battle raging around him all Jayne could hear was the silence. A panic over took him. Gorramit, she shouldn't have been on the job in the first place!

"RIVER!!!" Jayne awakened with a start and shot up in bed. As he tried to catch his breath he mumbled "River, gorramit girl."

"Yes?" came the unexpected reply from the end of his bed. River sat perched on the edge of his bunk as if it were perfectly natural for her to be there in the middle of the night. Jayne jumped a good six inches off the mattress at the sound of her voice. "Go se girl, you scared the crap outta me. What are you doing in here? "

"Jayne was calling for the girl and so she came. His dreams were so loud she could sense his unease and growing panic and so she came to reassure him. She is not hurt. She is not dead. And she knows that Jayne would come for her even through the bullets." Moving from her spot at the end of the bed she moved slowly towards Jayne and gently put her hand on his chest. Taking a deep breath she quietly said, "I trust you."

"You what?" said Jayne in amazement. "What did you say?"

"I trust you."

" 'I' you said 'I'. You never say 'I'. What…" Jayne looked at River shocked.

River took a deep breath and sighed. "When I was at the Academy in order to survive what they were doing to me, to keep a part of River alive and not become the weapon completely, I separated that part of my self. What they were doing was happening to 'the girl' not to River. It is only when I feel very safe that I am able to use the first person now."

"You saying you feel that safe in here with me?"

"Yes."

River nodded tears coming to her eyes. Jayne placed his hand over her much smaller one and held it. As he looked deeply into her eyes a silence fell between them. It was a comfortable silence, not like the ones Jayne usually found himself in right before some one shot him or threatened to space him. It was warm, liked the blanket his Ma had knit for him.

Finally, River began to pull away. Without thinking Jayne pulled on the hand he still held and she fell against his chest.

Looking up at him in surprise, River asked, "you do not wish me to leave?"

"No," said Jayne in equal surprise. "I don't. I don't know why, but I don't want ya outta my sight right now."

"It was only a nightmare. I am here, in one piece and as complete and normal as I am capable of being."

"I know that, and I'm startin' to get down right fond 'a your brand 'a normal. But I still don't want you to go."

River's smile could have lit up the room. "I should stay?"

"Well, since ya can't leave and stay the same time, yeah. Stay."

For the first time in a long time, River acted without thinking when she had not been triggered. Leaning forward she gently placed her lips on Jayne's.

Neither one of them could have been considered experienced in the area of kissing, for a moment after their lips met they both sat frozen. Slowly, Jayne's arms came around River. One hand ended up splayed across her back, holding her close; the other entwined itself in her long hair.

Jayne felt River's tongue running along his lips and he opened them slowly, allowing her access to his mouth. Their tongues danced between their mouths as the leisurely explored one another's bodies.

Finally, they broke apart, both breathing heavily.

After a pause, River spoke quietly, "are you certain you do not wish me to leave?"

"Yeah, that's the one thing I _am_ sure of right now."

"This girl is not ready to go beyond the kissing…" River's voice trailed away.

Go se, thought Jayne, she's gone back to calling herself 'the girl'. He had likedwhen she called herself I and even more, he'd liked it that she'd felt safe enough with him to do it. He wanted to reassure her but wasn't sure how. It was obvious to them both that he was willing and able to go beyond kissing-way beyond kissing. But she wasn't. And for the first time in his life, Jayne found himself willing to wait.

"That's alright, girl. We can just go to sleep. I think we'd better have a long talk but maybe now ain't the time. We should both be more sure what we want than we can be in the middle of the night."

"Jayne would let me sleep in his bunk?"

Noticing immediately that she was back to 'me' he responded. "Yeah, that way if I have more nightmares you'll be here to wake me up."

River smiled. "There will be no more nightmares for either one of us tonight. We will chase each other's nightmares away."

They lay down on the bunk, wrapped in each other's arms. And it may be safely assumed that while they may have lain awake for a time, they both had sweet dreams that night.

Jayne 2 

Gorammit. If he'd known kissin' was that good he might not have given it up. Or maybe it was only that good with River. She'd come and woken him out of his nightmare knowing he was dreaming about losing her. Even now, with her lying next to him, the thought of her caught in that gunfire made him start to sweat.

He'd meant what he'd said about them needing to talk, which felt strange. He wasn't one for talking. Usually, he got what he wanted from a whore, paid her, and moved on. He couldn't remember ever wanting more from a woman than an hour or three of physical comfort and no questions asked.

But River was different. He wasn't sure what it was he wanted, but he knew it was more than a few hours. And he knew that as sure as the Lord made little green apples that neither Simon nor Mal would be happy about it.


	8. Jayne 2

Jayne 2 

Gorammit. If he'd known kissin' was that good he might not have given it up. Or maybe it was only that good with River. She'd come and woken him out of his nightmare knowing he was dreaming about losing her. Even now, with her lying next to him, the thought of her caught in that gunfire made him start to sweat.

He'd meant what he'd said about them needing to talk, which felt strange. He wasn't one for talking. Usually, he got what he wanted from a whore, paid her, and moved on. He couldn't remember ever wanting more from a woman than an hour or three of physical comfort and no questions asked.

But River was different. He wasn't sure what it was he wanted, but he knew it was more than a few hours. And he knew that as sure as the Lord made little green apples that neither Simon nor Mal would be happy about it.


	9. Good Morning and Bad News

Disclaimer: Not mine, but if I could have Jayne I Promise I'd walk him and feed him and love him...

A/N: I'm sooooo sorry this has taken so long. As I said when I posted Five First Times I had a major case of writers block due to, in River-speak, a romantic entanglement that ended badly. In other words, a broaken heart. C'est la vie. Hopefully I'll be posting faster now but I am in grad school so allowances must be made. :) As always, reviews are shiny. :)

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When Jayne woke up the next morning the first thing he did was reach for River.

She was gone.

River.

Bolting upright he put his palm down where she had fallen asleep the night before. There was still a warm spot; she couldn't have been gone long. Jayne closed his eyes, why would she leave without waking him up? Had last night been too much for her? He didn't really want to admit how much it had meant to him. Holding her in his arms, he had slept better than he had in a very long time.

Suddenly, there was a woosh of air as the hatch of the bunk opened and Simon's head appeared.

"Jayne, have you seen River?"

"What the ruttin'…? Since when do you bust inta my bunk without knockin'?"

"I'm sorry, but have you seen her? I've been looking for her for half an hour. I've checked all the usual places."

"I've been sleepin'; how the hell would I have seen her? You know how she is, probably hidin' somewhere's listenin' to the goram ship breathe. And why are you so worried anyhow? She's more sane now than I've ever seen her. Ain't like we're dirtside, only so many places she could be while we're in the black."

"That's true," sighed Simon. "It's just such a habit, keeping track of her, worrying about her."

"Well, try trustin' her why don't ya? Give the girl some space ta breathe and make some goram choices on her own."

There was silence at the top of the ladder for a moment as Simon pondered Jayne's words. "I do believe this is a first, Jayne."

"Huh?" replied Jayne, genuinely puzzled. "I don't think I have ever received good advice from you before. If anyone needs me I'll be in the engine room with Kaylee."

"Yeah, and if'n we need ya we'll knock twice and walk in with our eyes closed."

"Ha ha," Simon said sarcastically as he pulled the hatch shut.

After pausing a moment to be certain Simon was really gone, Jayne called out softly "alright girl, your brother's gone, you can come on out now."Jayne watched with respect as River emerged from the shadows in the corner. He was an expert in hiding and in finding people who did not want to be found and he would have been very hard pressed to see her.

"I am sorry to have disappeared. Simon was coming and I thought it was better if he did not see me in your bunk."

"Yeah, good call on that one. He probably would have started yellin' and then Mal would tried to space me."

"93.6 probability that Simon would have gotten very loud."

"Only 93.6?"

"2.8 chance he would have simply gone to get Mal and proceed straight to the attempted spacing, 1.4 chance he would have come down and gabbed a gun and 2.2 chance of his fainting and injuring himself."

"I'll take your word for it, Crazy. So…what now?"

"I'm not sure. It seems to me that…" At that River froze a look of utter terror on her face

."Crazy? River? What's wrong?"

Without thinking he took her in his arms and held her gently while rubbing her back as she rocked slowly back and forth. He became aware of her muttering which became gradually louder until he could discern the words. "Two by two. Hands of blue."

"River! RIVER!"

Her eyes snapped open and her saw her looking back at him with lucid terror filled eyes.

"How close are they? Are they here now?"

River closed her eyes again and cocked her head to the side listening to something only she could hear.

"No," she said shakily. Not here now, soon."

"Ok, we know their coming so we can stop 'em. First thing is for you to go wake up your brother and Kaylee. I'll get Mal, Inara and Zoe. We'll all meet in the mess, ok?"

Slowly, River stood up from Jayne's lap and still shaking began to walk over to the ladder.

Just as she reached it Jayne called out, "River?"

Turning she saw a look of determination and protectiveness she had never before seen in Jayne's face.

"They won't take ya. I promise."

Shaking less, River nodded. "I'll get Simon and Kaylee," she said as she climbed out of the bunk.


	10. Jayne 3

Disclaimer: I don't any of them, especially Jayne. But oh, if I did...

A/N: I'd been going back and forth with the POV between Jayne and River and technically it's River's turn but this felt like a Jayne moment. :) I'm working on the next xhapter do hopefully it won't take months to udate this time. Happy reading. And as always reviews are shiny and make for a happy girl.

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As Jayne went to weapon up he started to think. There was no way those hundan were going to lay a single finger on River let alone take her away from him. He paused for an instant as he realized that his concern was not only for keeping River away from the "Hands of Blue" but equally for keeping her with him. He couldn't stand the thought of being without her for any reason but especially one that would cause her pain.

He also realized he was going to have to explain to the rest of the crew why he knew about what was happening. He had known truth about his relationship with River was going to come out sooner or later but he'd thought he was going to have a little bit more time to accustom himself to the idea. And maybe discuss it with her before having to defend himself from the accusations Mal and Simon were sure to fling at him. How was he going to explain what was happening between him and River when he wasn't entirely sure himself? At least the whole having to deal with the whole "Hands of Blue" thing should keep the questions about him and River to a minimum for the night.

"Well," he sighed. "Ready or not here we go." And he climbed up the ladder to meet his fate.


End file.
